Review of A Lull in the Sea
“Everyone is precious to someone else.” - Manaka Judging strictly from its promotional poster and synopsis, I thought Nagi no Asukara was just another sappy, childish drama. I was greatly mistaken, and I owe P.A. Works, the studio producer of Nagi-Asu, an apology for having such presumptions. This fantasy, slice of life, and romance anime is absolutely breathtaking in every aspect. The story is unpredictable and goes beyond your typical anime of its genre. Despite the supernatural aspects, its underwater theme creates logical situations that the characters face, including forbidden love and discrimination. Nagi-Asu takes places between two settings: an underwater village called Shioshishio and thesurface village called Oshiooshi. Upon the closing of their middle school in Shioshishio, four childhood friends (Hikuri, Manaka, Chisaki, and Kaname) have no choice but to enroll in Mihama Middle School on the surface. Later comes fateful meetings with characters, including Tsumugu, who become an important part of their lives. The new characters also become valuable to the story, because they each face difficulties and have their own goals. The joint of two human races brings forth forbidden love, discrimination, grudges, newfound feelings, heartbreak, etc. Unlike drama anime with your usual love triangles, Nagi-Asu has a love heptagon that gives several opportunities to root for certain individuals but plenty of disappointments for viewers who may dislike the ending result. The love heptagon is not as complicated as it sounds. As the story continues, the events and interactions between characters makes it easier to detect why Character A is precious to Character B.
The greatest accomplishment of Nagi-Asu is its pacing with 26 episodes put to good use. Sea folklore has a huge impact on the story. Proper execution allowed for orderly suspense and thorough explanation of the folklore. It also made way for character development over a five-year time span. Time and characters’ interactions with each other allowed them to grow positively and influence their life choices. Some characters develop into someone you can’t help but praise. The finale was clear and gives the viewer a sense of how the characters’ lives will continue.
The characters are given fair screen time, allowing the viewer to understand each character. Monologues reveal their inner feelings about certain situations or individuals, particularly the ones they care for. Each character worked towards achieving a particular goal. The only character I couldn’t stand was the lead male protagonist Hikuri, who was too similar to Eren from Shingeki no Kyojin with his constant complaints and quick temper over little things. The show reveals important events of MCs' pasts, but it vaguely discusses the origin of their friendship. The most Nagi-Asu does is show some scenes of their times at their underwater middle school. Their interaction with each other proves the closeness of their relationship, but more information about their past would’ve been great.
P.A. Works never fail in making top-notch and realistic animation for fantasy. The settings, especially Shioshishio, and character designs are beautiful! All of the scenes were active from the sun’s reflection on the sea to the school of fish underwater. Group settings showed activity from all characters. The distinction between the sea people and land people is outstanding. The eye colors of the characters are sparkly with the brown eyes of the land people and the aqua-colored eyes of the sea people, particularly the MCs. It does not matter, but I highly recommend watching this in HD to get a better experience.
The OST is amazing, and the vocals fits perfectly with its underwater theme, especially in its first ED “Aqua Terrarium” by Nagi Yanagi. The lyrics describe the feelings of love throughout the story. There were stressful moments in the series that played happy background music, and it can prevent one from feeling any sympathy for the characters. The seiyuu played the characters’ voices very well. For example, Hanazawa Kana did an excellent job playing Manaka, the sensitive girl who cried most of the time. The sound effects, including crashes of the waves, were very good, too.
Nagi-Asu instantly became one of my favorite anime, and I can’t believe I waited months before watching it. Besides Hikari’s annoying tsundere attitude, I was disappointed with how certain parts resembled something you’d expect from a Disney movie. Nevertheless, I enjoyed how each character fought for the ones they loved or openly expressed their feelings. The settings and conflicts that follow are really intriguing, adding to the enjoyment. The unexpected events and passion between the characters led me to marathon it, and I was very pleased with the ending.
Overall, Nagi-Asu is an amazing work of the fantasy and romance-drama genre. P.A. Works makes it live with its colorful and active animation. The characters develop feelings and express themselves fully. The story, especially the conflicts, presents itself well with proper execution, creating suspense. If you have crazy presumptions about Nagi-Asu like me, try at least the first five episodes to truly get a hint of what to expect. You may not like it, especially with the love heptagon, but it is likely to become one of the most beautiful shows you've seen.